Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief ESSER Fund

Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund grant RASP/Federal Grant Programs Unit Spring, 2020 (Revised 9/29/20)

Welcome to the CARES Act ESSER Fund application webinar! • Housekeeping items before we begin: o The slides will be emailed later this evening to all registrants. o To preserve bandwidth, your video and microphone are turned off. o Use the Q & A feature at the bottom of the screen to ask questions. o We will use the polling feature – your participation is appreciated (and it is anonymous)! Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 2

01 ESSER Fund: General Information 02 Uses: Allowable/Unallowable CONTENTS Equitable Participation of Private 03 Schools 04 Grant application 05 Waivers, reporting & resources

01 ESSER Fund: General Information

CARES Act: ESSER Fund grant • Emergency funding to address impact of COVID-19 o Purpose: prevent, prepare for, and respond to impacts of COVID 19 • Emergency declared: March 13, 2020 • Signed into law: March 27, 2020 • ESSER Fund o Fund code 113 o Distributed based on FY 20 Title IA share of total, but are not Title I funds o Similar, but simplified application o Flexible spending; equitable participation applies o ESSER funds are not subject Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to supplement, not supplant rules 5

Deadlines and fund availability • Two options – two deadlines o Option 1 - Apply for FY 20 grant – due Monday, June 15, 2020 § Use if intend to obligate any funds in FY 20 (3/13/20 – 6/30/20) § Initial payment will be received in July/August § Balance of funds will roll into next fiscal year (7/1/20 – 6/30/21) o Option 2 - Apply for FY 21 grant – due Friday, August 14, 2020 § Use if intend to not obligate funds in FY 20 § Period of availability is 7/1/20 (or date of approval if later) – 6/30/21 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 6

02 Uses: Allowable/Unallowable

ESSER: Allowable Uses - broad • Any allowable activity under: o ESSA (including Titles IA, III, IVA, and V) – in all schools, regardless of Title I status o Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) o Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act o Mc. Kinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act o Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) • To meet purpose: prevent, prepare for, and respond to impacts of COVID-19 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 8

ESSER: Allowable uses – possible activities to support • Remote learning o Educational technology o Supplies and services o Training, planning, and coordination o Diagnostic assessments to gauge learning needs and gaps • Mental health services and supports • Meeting unique needs of special populations • Family and community outreach and engagement • Re-establishment of district operations and services Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 9

ESSER: Unallowable uses • May not spend ESSER funds on: o Bonuses or merit pay unless related to COVID-19 o Offsetting executive salaries and benefits of non-district employees o Expenditures related to state or local teacher/staff unions or associations Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 10

03 Equitable Participation of Private Schools

Outreach to Private Schools (not applicable to Charter, Virtual, and Voc-Tech schools) • Who is eligible to participate in a district’s ESSER grant? o All non-profit private schools that are inside or outside of the district’s geographic boundaries and that are serving students that live in a Title I attendance area. § Even if chose not to participate in FY 20 entitlement grant programs • Consultation requirements – timely and meaningful o Good faith effort to contact and engage (document) § Request response within reasonable amount of time o Affirmation of Consultation form for each participating school § Describes how district will spend equitable share for private schools – joint decision based on private school needs § Signed, on file in district for now, and submitted to DESE in September Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 12

Equitable Services • Allocation per school is based on the number of students from Title Ieligible families attending private schools. o Title I eligible students are students who would have attended a Title I-served school had they attended their home district public school. o Use DESE’s calculator to recalculate the ESSER equitable services reservation per the Title I methodology. o May use reasonable amount of allocation for administration • Fund use o Any allowable use under ESSER; may differ from district use o Not subject to supplement, not supplant rules o District must retain control of funds and purchases o Use Affirmation of Consultation form to document agreed upon use of funds (or any disagreements) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 13

04 ESSER Fund grant application: A walk-through ESSER RFP

05 Waivers, reporting & resources

CARES Act Waivers (of ESSA fiscal requirements) • FY 20 Title IA 15% limit on carryover waived • FY 19 period of availability of funds extended for additional year, to 9/30/21 o Title I, Part A, Title I, Part C (Migrant Education), Title I, Part D (Neglected and Delinquent) o Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction) o Title III, Part A (English Language Acquisition) o Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Achievement), Title IV, Part B (21 st Century Community Learning Centers) o IDEA grants (fund codes 240 and 262) o Mc. Kinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 16

CARES Act Waivers (continued) • Title IVA (applicable to allocations of $30, 000 or more), waive: o needs assessment for changes in spending of FY 20 funds o requirement to spend across three areas (well-rounded education, safe & healthy students, use of technology) • Title IVA limit on technology spending waived (applicable to all recipients) • Title IIA definition of professional development broadened o May support shorter-term PD (not necessarily “sustained, intensive, and collaborative”) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 17

Reporting Requirements under CARES Act • Recipients of $150, 000 or more report quarterly (starting in September): o projects supported with CARES Act funds o amounts spent on each project o information about subgrants and contracts • Affirmation of Consultation forms for each participating private school (collected from all districts in September) o More information on reporting will be forthcoming as requirements develop Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 18

Resources • ESSER grant RFP and application materials (fund code 113): o DESE current grants at: http: //www. doe. mass. edu/grants/current. html • Federal grant programs ESSER resource page: o http: //www. doe. mass. edu/federalgrants/esser/ § ESSER Quick Reference Guide: http: //www. doe. mass. edu/federalgrants/esser/qrg-113. docx § FAQ regarding COVID-19 and federal grants: http: //www. doe. mass. edu/covid 19/financehr/federalgrants-faq. docx § Affirmation of Consultation for Private School Equitable Services: http: //www. doe. mass. edu/federalgrants/resources/equitableservices-essa/affirm-consultation. docx § Federal guidance on equitable services under the CARES Act https: //oese. ed. gov/files/2020/04/FAQs-Equitable-Services. pdf • Virtual Office Hours: Your federal grants liaison will hold virtual office hours for districts to have an opportunity to ask questions and seek guidance during the application process. Stay tuned for more information as these are scheduled. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 19

http: //www. doe. mass. edu/federalgrants/ • Our office and your liaison: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 20

THANK YOU 781. 338. 6230 www. doe. mass. edu /federalgrants federalgrantprograms@doe. mass. edu 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148